Man, The Fast and the Furious Is Kind of Janky Now

The Fast and the Furious is coming back to theaters. Released all the way back in 2001, the movie that started one of the most successful film franchises in history is getting a fresh release to celebrate its 15th anniversary. And it should quickly remind us all how much better the series has gotten since.

Look, there are certainly reasons to love the O.G. Fast and Furious. (Beachy-blonde Paul Walker and a bursting-on-the-scene Vin Diesel chief among them.) But most of the things we love about the current movies are completely absent from what was essentially a Point Break remake. (And we’ve already had a Point Break remake this year!)

We love the current iterations of the Furious franchise partly because of how far of a departure they are from the early days. It its prime—which is now, always—the Furious series is about nonsensical set pieces (Dom is jumping over a bridge), ridiculously high stakes (the villain is helping terrorists!), and a big-ass team that’s an Axe-scented potpourri of different ethnicities and skills.

The first movie sells itself as part-mystery, part-racing flick, with the family we’ve come to love still in its infancy stages. Do we really want to watch it again? We haven’t even gotten to the lack of Wiz Khalifa banger during the opening credits.

Jankyness of the first film aside, it’s not like we’re getting a remake or something. There are worse things than watching Paul Walker on the big screen one more time.

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